wheelock



L. WHEELOGK. Breecn-Loadihg Fire- 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 'L. WH-EELOCK.

\ Breech-Loading FireArm.

No. 70,141. Patented Oct. 22, 1867.

' 3 Sheets-Sheet; 3

L. WHEELOCK.

Breech-Loading Fire-Arm.

No..70,l41. Patented-Oct. 22, 1867.

Inventor.

Witnesses. 1 Jake )IZeelobwith raw gm: ffrrz.

LUKE WHEELOCK, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT.

Letters Patent No. 70,141, dated October 22-, 1867.

IMPROVEMENT IN BREEGH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS.

- vac TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN Be it known that I, LUKE WHEELOCK, of New Haven, in the county of New Haven, and State of Connecticut, have invented a new Improvement in Breech-Loading Fire-Arms; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, and the letters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, and represent, in-

Figure 1, a side view of that portion of the arm to which my invention directly pertains;

Figure 2, a top view. 7 A

Figure 3, a longitudinal central section.

Figure 4, the same to illustrate the operation; and, in

Figures 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9, detached views to illustrate the construction and operation;

My invention relates to an improvement in that class of armsknown as Robcrtss Breech-Loading Fire- Arms," and consists, first, in the construction and arrangement of the brecch-block so that while it permits the free entrance of the cartridge into the barrel, it also serves as a. latch to catch in the rear of the cartridge immediately on its complete insertion into the barrel. 4

To the better understanding of my invention, as well as to enable others to construct the same, I will .proceed to a description as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

A is the barrel, B the frame, 0 the breech-block secured in a fixed position by a latch, D, as seen in fig. 3, the rear end of the saidbreech-block fitted to the frame so as to form a solid bearing, and to permit a depression of the block as from the position in fig. 3 to that in fig. 4. Thus far the parts are constructed and arranged in the usual manner. As heretofore constructed, the breech-block is depressed so as to permit the cartridge to be inserted into the rear of the barrel, and this is done while the muzzle of the arm is depressed, depending entirely upon the gravitation of the cartridge to hold itself in the barrel until the block is raised. To this arrangement there is no little objection, inasmuch as the cartridge will in many circumstances fall back into the chamber before the block can be raised. To obviate this difficulty I arrange a spring, E, in-the under side of the block, which, when the block is depressed, as denoted in fig. 4, strikes the bottom of the chamber or other point before the block has been so far depressed as to permit the cartridge to be inserted into the barrel without further movement; therefore, when the cartridge is laid upon the block, and borne doun to force it into the barrel, the spring will be compressed, and the block further depiessed, as denoted in red, fig. 4, permitting the cartridge to enter the barrel, and when so entered the reaction of the spring raises the block, as seen in fig. 4, so as to form a latch and prevent the cartridge from falling from the barrel. Thus the breech-block itself forms the latch which secures the cartridge into the barrelirnmcdiately upon its proper insertion.

I do not broadlyclairn the arrangement of a spring constructed so as to set and temporarily hold the-breech at a position in line with the bore of the barrel, so that the cartridge may be inserted without obstruction, as this is common in the arms known as Sharpss rifles, the Henry or Winghester rifle, and in the patent of H. O. Peabody, July 22, 1862; but what I do claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The spring E, in combination with the breech-block C, and arranged so as to be depressed by the insertion of the cartridge, and when the cartridge is inserted to immediately raise the block so as to prevent the accidental removal of the cartridge LUKE WIIEELOCK.

I Witnesses:

A. J. Tlccrrs, E. U. Tuonrson. 

